Winter's Secret
by GuardianKile
Summary: MCU AU that takes place during the events of Captain America The Winter Soldier. The Winter Soldier is a force to be reckoned with, yet no body truly knows who is under all the ice and snow that is his programing. While coming into contact with Black Widow and Cap during the fall of Shield, a dark secret is resurfacing that will ultimately be the resurrection or death of the man.
1. Chapter 1 Cognitive Recallibration

Chapter 1: Cognitive Recalibration

As Natasha cowers behind an abandoned car, the Winter Soldier pushes forward through the crowd trying to escape the destruction caused by Hydra. Knowing from previous battles with him, she had dialed an emergency code as fast as she can could when she first saw him. A bullet to the shoulder, her pulse is pounding so fast she can barely breath .With each second the one opponent that she has never been able to best gets closer to ending her life. Suddenly the monstrous roar of a crotch rocket speeding its way towards her is her saving grace. Backup has arrived.

"Bad Dog!" Nat can hear screamed from behind her. She twists around the car to see a woman casually strolling towards the soldier who is now standing on top an SUV, a rocket launcher rifle pointed in her direction. Pulling twin berettas from hip holsters the strange woman begins barraging the soldier with cover fire as she screams over her shoulder.

"Nat get Cap to safety!"

Before checking to see if they were clear, she rushes the soldier. Within a series of charged kicks and a series of left hooks to his shoulder she has disarmed him and drove him under the cover of the overpass. As he pulls a knife, she throws off her aviator shades and gracefully flicks her hands to the sides of his face tendrils of shadow radiating from her fingers as she catches his gaze.

"It's time for some cognitive recalibration." she sneers, dropping the power

"Razdrobit!" She growls in Russian, while her pupils shifting into predatory slits.

His knife falters, his eyes blinking rapidly like waking from a dream.

A smile spreads across her lips as he slowly looks her up and down. Standing before him in her leather jacket and jeans, weapons strategically placed all along her body as her raven hair flows around her in the breeze.

While he centers himself she snatches his earpiece, crushing it beneath the heel of her boot.

"Vina?" He whispers huskily, confused at the woman in front of him.

She reverts her eyes back to normal, putting her hand up halting him from speaking.

"First, the muzzle." She interjects, her fingers wrapping around the lower face mask, yanking it off his face.

"How?" he begins once again but she can feel the Hydra operatives drawing into their location.

She shushes him into silence, leaning forward she quickly whispers into his ear, following with a roundhouse kick to his face, making him stumble backwards as she sprints to her motorcycle, burning rubber as she speeds away from the onslaught of agents.

Cracking his jaw, he picks up the rifle and rejoins the forces. Now with newly awoken urgency inside of him.


	2. Chapter 2 Reconnect

Hours of debriefing followed by repairs to his arm leave the Winter Soldier desperate for his next mission. The following evening one such event arose, Hydra leader Pierce called him late at night for briefing, he is to track down and eliminate two rogue shield agents that had managed to escape the city. He was given a 72 hour window to complete the task yet the first thing he had on his mind was the address whispered in his ear that he couldn't seem to shake from his consciousness.

Using the cover of darkness he scaled rooftop after rooftop, traversing many obstacles along the way to guarantee he remained a ghost within the city. Hours passed and he finally stumbled upon the rooftop entrance to the address, slipping through the high tech security system and dropping down into the dark apartment.

Scouting each and every room he discovered it empty and bare except for a thin mattress on the floor, duffle bags by the door and food canisters sporadically placed along the counters.

Hours later the sound of tumbling cogs in the doors' lock groan throughout the room. Creeping through the entrance, pistol at the ready; the woman shifted through the shadows readying her aim at the figure sitting by the table.

The closer she steps towards the intruder his features becoming exposed. The gun swung limp to her side.

"Comrade?!" she beseeched breathless.

Slowly he stood, crossing the distance between them.

"Vina?" He whispered again.

Holstering her pistol against her thigh, she changes her luminous green eyes to slits once again.

He lets out the breath he had unwillingly been holding as she jumps forward wrapping her arms around his neck, tears searing her eyes.

Her body calms as the warm heaviness of him envelopes her in his embrace; his metal fingers beginning to stroke her hair.

"How long?" he questions, his voice gravelly from unuse.

"9 years." she mutters.

His grip on her tightens, clasping her closer to him.

An eternity later they finally break apart, as she steps away he gently wipes at her tear stained cheeks, as small smile spreading across his face as he looks into her catlike eyes. Her cheeks flush, blinking away the slitted pupils that drew his attention.

"How did you find me?" he began, folding his arms across his chest as he leaned against the wall.

It's my job." She replied, finally taking a minute to remove her jacket.

"What?" He growls.

She took a deep breath, "Eight years ago S.H.I.E.L.D recruited me, I'm a specialist."

He remained still as a statue, processing the information, "What about? Do they know about your?"

"Powers. Yes, they know." She stated, a tint of venom in her words.

"Do they know the full extent?" He urged,  
She paused for a second, hearing the worry in his voice. Turning back to him, her face softened.

"No… no they don't I won't let them find out either. They think I'm a mutant and I am keeping it that way."

He strode to her once more, putting his hands on her arms, "Davina, do they know where you came from...what happened before?"

She shook her head, " Nyet, but the director does know where I was first trained."

He ran his hand through his hair, turning away from her only to spot sunlight breaking through on the horizon.

"I've stayed too long." He groaned, frustrated.

"I know." She whispered, shifting her eyes back to slits. As he turned back towards her, her hands snapped up to rest on either side of his head, shadows dancing from her fingertips.

"Zamok," She chanted, her Russian fluid and perfect as the tendrils locked away his recent memories of her, so deep not even Hydra could ever wipe them away.

He refused to look back at her once her power had subsided, as he headed for the skylight to make a quick escape, her voice rang out.

"I'll miss you Comrade."

He simply nodded knowing that if he looked back he wouldn't be able to leave, and that this mission might be the end of her.


	3. Chapter 3 Winter's Past

** December 13,1996**** 22:50 hours****Rural Province in Romania**

Hydra is slowly pushing their reign of terror across the country, driving out and destroying all those who oppose them; leading their army is the Winter Soldier. After the onslaught of bullets, flamethrowers and panzers have rolled through on this bone freezing night, the soldier does one last sweep to uncover hidden enemies as the tanks and trucks move on towards the next province.

The once crisp white snow is now saturated in crimson, slick beneath his boots. Carefully he listens and watches with his heightened senses, rifle pointed at the ready as he wanders over the smoking remains of a bombed building; with each motion creaking boards and breaking glass echo through the field.

After his final sweep he heads to his motorcycle, as he holsters his rifle on his back he pauses, the softest whimper drifting his way on gusts of wind coming from the far side of the devastation. Quickly drawing his pistol he rushes toward the sound, it takes mere seconds for him to charge across the huge field. As he reaches the outskirts of the black forest the raspy whimper is louder. Silently he tracks it, cautiously digging his boot through the snow till he hits a solid unmoving mass.

Kneeling down in the frigid snow he quickly begins to dig. Within minutes the still form of a child is revealed. Her thin grey scrubs covered in blood and ash, her breathing raspy and shallow. The stinging metal of his pistol against her temple forces her eyes open, revealing her slitted pupils which were quickly clouding over, her life slipping away in the arctic night.

Gently he rolled her frozen form into his arms, noticing the twisted symbol of Leviathan printed on the sleeves of her raggedy shirt.

"Eu nu am făcut-o," She wheezed, going limp in his embrace.

Her words, " _I did not do it._ " Puzzled him as he carried her to his motorcycle.

He could feel her heart rate slowing rapidly as the bike roared to life, her lifeless form pressed tightly against his body. His programming screamed at him to end her life because if she was part of Leviathan she was an enemy of Hydra but his gut refused to let the helpless child waste away.

He urged his bike faster and faster through the blistering wind, frantic to locate the small dilapidated hunting cabin Hydra had cleared earlier that day. Seconds felt like hours as he glanced down every few seconds only to see her frostbite taking hold. Finally after racing through the growing blizzard he found the shack, rushing her inside. Gently he laid her frozen body on the floor next to a crumbling fireplace. Her hands clung to his metal forearm as he turned to make his way back to the bike for supplies.

Kneeling back down he brushed the hair from her forehead, her lips, a deep shade of blue quivered as her eyes fought to focus.

"Shhhh," he soothed sensing the fear in her inaudible cry. "I will be right back." he assured her.

After he had built a fire and brought in his bedroll, she was now sleeping. He sat against the wall watching, knowing full well she most likely wouldn't survive the night.

He wasn't sure when he drifted off but it must have only been a few hours because the sun was nowhere to be seen. His attention instantly snapped to the child, who was bundled in his bedroll but shivering so hard he could hear her teeth chattering from across the room. Without thinking he crossed the room and laid down next to her, propping himself up on his arm and pulling her in close. The warm humming of his metal arm soothed away some of the tremors as he rubbed circles along her back.

Slowly her eyes opened making a weary smirk spread across his tired features. Her once cloudy irises now a vibrant predatory green.

"I didn't do it." She whispered.

"What didn't you do?" he asked, readjusting the blanket to bundle her more.

"The storm."

"What storm?" he responded, a puzzled look on his face.

"The one that killed all the people." She whimpered burying her head in her frostbitten hands.

He gently lifted her face to his, silently amazed by the slitted pupils staring back at him.

"No, of course that wasn't you. It was…" he paused unsure what to answer, "Me and my men."

They sat in silence for a long while, "Thankyou." she rasped.

He composed himself, vexed by her answer.

"Why do you think you could have hurt anyone?" He questioned.

"If I tell do I have to go back?"

He knew that fear. "Never," He growled.

She twisted slightly exposing her hands, crackles of power began emanating from her in coils of shadow. Night itself seemed to radiate off of her till the entire room was engulfed in darkness. She cried out in pain as it retracted back to her, her eyes finally shifting to normal as beads of sweat rolled down her face.

"I'm sorry." She whimpered. "I don't feel good."

He shook his head, "You are very special, don't ever be ashamed of that."

Her tiny cheeks flushed at the compliment.

"What's your name little one?" He asked.

She thought for a moment, "The man who gave me medicine called me Davina."

He sat up and carefully moved her into his lap, she stared as he pulled a flask of now lukewarm water from his pack. He knew since her core temperature was rising it was time to treat her severe frostbite the best he could.

"This is going to hurt but I promise it will help you feel better." He assured her, carefully dipping her fingers in the bowl.

Not even a wince, she sensed him staring at her worried. " It's ok, I'm use to pain."

Anger flooded his veins as he held her close taking the time to carefully examining her.

"Davina… did they hurt you?" He questioned staring at the Leviathan insignia on her tattered scrubs.

She stayed silent, fixated on her fingers.

"Davina." he called, reclaiming her attention.

"Where…. How did you get here?"

"I've always been here." She told him matter of factly.

"What happened to you here?" He finally asked, the question burning within him since the moment he discovered her body in the snow mound.

"I stayed in my room." She began, I wasn't allowed to leave."

"Did people come check on you?"

"Mmm-hmmm, the doctor brought me food and medicine…"

"What else did this doctor do?"

She grew quiet,

"Davina, you can tell me, I promise it will be alright." He assured, staring at her blue-black fingers.

"Can I show you?" She stuttered minutes later.

He nodded unsure what was to come.

She wobbled to her feet, carefully he grasped her hips so she wouldn't topple over. Quivering, she placed her hands on either side of her face, her pupils slowly shifting.

"It's ok." he assured her as he could feel her hands shake.

"She stared into his eyes, he could see hers begin to glow, then was suddenly thrust into the dark a disembodied voice in the distance.

Flashes cascaded into his mind's eye, men dressed in military uniforms and lab coats bearing the Leviathan symbol. An underground base hidden in the dark recesses of a forest. Then the visions wavered and he was now looking through someone else's eyes. Her eyes.

 _A dark room, the only light streamed through three slits of bars on the massive metal door. A tiny bedroll in the corner and a chamber pot. She sat on the bedroll, barefoot and shivering till a young man in a lab coat came through the door rolling a trolley. Suddenly light filled the cell, so bright her eyes burned._

 _Syringe after syringe of multi colored serums he injected into her arms, legs, and spine. Patches of foul smelling chemicals stuck to her body. Searing pain radiating from every organ and limb._

Then the vision changed just as quickly as it appeared, when the next cleared she was in a different cell staring at a pile of blue crystals on a pedestal in the center. The next second they exploded into dust, her whole body froze unable to move as a cocoon began to encase her tiny body.

The visions continued for minutes, images of her using her powers and the doctor beating her when she didn't accomplish the task he had made, constant medication and serum injections. No toys, no companionship. Just the cold, dank cell that remained dark for 95% of her day and the constant torture of her gifts.

When she finally withdrew from him she moved to sit next to the fire away from him. Shame plastered on her young face.

Icy rage welled up from deep within as he fully came out of the dark trance. He stood and refilled the pan with lukewarm water, bringing it to rest at her feet. She glanced up at him quickly before dipping her frostbitten toes into the liquid, repeating her treatment from earlier.

He couldn't say he was sorry, but he could understand, he understood all too well what she had endured.

"Davina, you are a brave and powerful young lady," he began as he sat next to her against the wall. "I swear that I will never let them touch you again."

She nodded, unsure what to do or say.

"Who are you?" She asked.

He let out a sigh, "I'm just a Winter Soldier who has lived a very similar existence to yours."

His words confused her a bit but the pain that reflected within his eyes, and the emotions she felt while sharing her memories echoed within her soul.

"My comrade." She stated.

"Da," He agreed beginning to formulate a plan on what to do with her before his unit came looking for him.


End file.
